FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY – OXFORD UNIVERSITY

Abstract for “Against Sider on Fundamentality” – David Mathers

In Writing the Book of the World Theodore Sider develops an elaborate metaphysical theory based around a new primitive term ‘structural’ which has roughly the same meaning as ‘natural’ does for David Lewis, except that it is supposed to apply far more widely than simply to properties. Amongst the striking claims that Sider makes in Writing the Book of the World is that his theory of ‘structure’ provides us with an account of fundamentality, if we assume, roughly, that the structural IS the fundamental. I argue here that this is not the case. The claim that the structural just is the fundamental is in tension with many of the other things that Sider says about the structural and should therefore be abandoned by Sider.

Meetings

Most talks in Trinity Term 2017 take place in Ryle Room, Radcliffe Humanities Building, on Friday 9-11am. But please do check the Schedule for the exact time and venue.